Orbits in Decay
by TheCentauress
Summary: [ON HIATUS! SEE MY PROFILE FOR DETAILS]After a long hiaetus, I'M BAAAAAAACK! Bit of a filler, bit of backstory and- OMG, an OMAKE!
1. Objects in motion

Orbits in Decay  
  
Chapter 1:  
  
  
An object in motion, unless acted upon by countering forces, will stay in motion; this is in a vacuum, as in normal atmosphere, the very air itself will inevitably contribute to present countering forces to the afore-said moving object.  
  
- High school explanation of Newton's First Law  
  
  
Akane rested her head upon the small table that was set up in her dorm room, taking a few moments rest from the textbooks in front of her. It had been four years since the near-wedding between Ranma and herself, but, even now, she still felt the same as she had that very day...  
  
  
~~~FLASHBACK~~~~  
  
The smoke from the Happodaikrin cleared as the fighting paused. Many eyes widened as they noted the tuxedo-clad redhead leading over the equally still form of her mother.  
  
"RANMA!!!" Akane shrieked, disregarding the blood to cradle her fading fiancee to her. "Don't die, I need you."  
  
Her voice a hoarse hiss, the tiny girl replied. "d...don't be sad, 'kane. i'll w...ch over ya', jus' fr...om a little far...ther 'way." Her lips curled into a truly beautiful smile, even with the blood that burbled from one corner. Her eyes seemed to loose focus, then a look of awe suffused her features. "Kami," she said in a breath, "this is a sur...."  
  
"I love you," Akane cried as the spark began to fade from her one-and-only's sapphire orbs.  
  
With her last breath, the redhead answered. "i know, anata. see ya again..."  
  
And then, Ranma Saotome, Heir and unacknowledged Grandmaster of Anything-Goes, followed his mother into the last adventure a person can know...  
  
Leaving the one he loved to weep.  
  
  
~~~~END FLASHBACK~~~~  
  
She sighed, letting the ache dull once more before she straightened. It had taken over three hours before anyone could make her release the by then stiffened body. She had sat there, unseeing, as the various martial artist feuds and competitions had suddenly ended around her. It seemed that the sight of someone who could defeat an embodiment of a phenonix laying dead in their midst due to their own egos did much to defuse the chaos.  
  
She had to chuckle. Defuse, heck; by the time that the two urns had been placed in the family shrine alongside her mother's, most of the people that had participated had _finally_ gotten a clue. If even Tataiwaki realizing that the girl he loved and the guy he hated were the same wasn't enough, the poor guy found the strength to admit that he had made a serious breach of honor and had since become a wandering monk. He still visited the family when he came by and had went out of his way to try to assist anyone he encountered who had a Jusenkyo curse - surprisingly, a much higher number than many thought.  
  
Kodachi, well, she was a lot worse off. The girl had shrieked once, then sagged to her knees, babbling about her mother. It turned out that the late matriarch had died from an explosion herself; the only one who was close enough to see it was a six year old 'Dachi. Until last year, she had been in a sanitarium, by her own insistence, to try to come to grips with her long buried and misplaced guilt. The Black Rose no longer, she was now known as 'The Blue Rose Kodachi,' due to her research in crossbreeding her new namesake, which she called the Wild Horse Heaven's Way, or Ranma Tendo, rose.  
  
The four holding Happosai were now considered heroes. In the brief moment that the ancient letch was in shock from his deed, they had simply ripped him apart in a violent display of the ancient art of quartering a victim. With his death, the four had the strength to finally start to see what the Art that they paid lip service to really was: A way for their strength to help people who couldn't protect themselves. Each of the four had since gone on to various jobs in the troubleshooting or detective fields, building upon that beginning and, in a way, paying back a debt they felt they held to Ranma's memory.  
  
Kasumi. Who knew why, but that scene galvanized her into pursuing the one person that she had wanted. Within the first year, she had become Ono Kasumi and had been pregnant with her little Ranko. She and Niisan now owned the Dojo, building it back up to the glory it had held two generations ago.  
  
Nabiki, the Ice Queen, had in the space of the same time had become the newest head of an organization that donated their talent to helping people to overcome odds and come together, no matter what. In the past three years, her second-oldest sister had helped over two hundred couples to their happiness, with no signs of slowing down. Her old smirk had morphed into a smile that rivaled Kasumi's for the sheer brilliance that shone whenever she managed to fulfill another assignment.  
  
She was just beginning to focus upon her own accomplishments, when her stomach let out a growl worthy of Ranma's. She chuckled and flipped open her cellphone.  
  
A voice cut through the air. "You have reached the Goddess Helpline," someone sounding eerily like Kasumi said. "I shall be over shortly for a wish consultation."   
  
The short haired woman blinked for a moment. 'Weird,' she mentally murmured.  
  
"It isn't so strange, Tendo Akane," the Kasumi-voice stated from behind her. "May I come in?"  
  
With a movement like a ratchet, Akane turned to come face to face to see a woman who, except for her European features, could easily pass for Kasumi, barring three small things.  
  
1) The woman's hair was a steel gray to her sister's brown,  
  
2) The woman had strange tattoos on her face and  
  
3) The woman was COMING OUT OF THE MIRROR ON HER WALL!!!  
  
Ignoring her startled admirer, the near-Kasumi gently tugged herself until she was clear of the silvered surface, then sat herself on the edge of the glass as if an invisible shelf hung there, allowing her the time to straighten out her flowing garments.  
  
This simple act caused the smaller woman to come of her shock-induced haze. "Who are you?" she squeaked.  
  
The woman smiled benignly and handed her a card as she said in that same voice, "Gomen. I am Belldandy, Goddess of the Present. I am here to give you a wish."  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
  
Not soon after, Akane and Belldandy were sitting across from each other in the darker corner of one of Akane's favorite haunts, chatting quietly with each other.  
  
"You say that a cousin had told you about me?" the mortal woman asked, her eyes wide. "As in..."  
  
The pale haired goddess, now in a more normal outfit, smiled cheerily. "Of course, Akane-san," she replied. "Though there is no _real_ relation, all of us do act as if we were one large family. She is the head of your own group of deities."  
  
Akane blanched. "Ameratsu," she gulped, "is your cousin?"  
  
Belldandy nodded, her smile widening. "She was tickled to find out that you were to be chosen to receive this and asked me to grant it. So, do you have an idea of what you want?"  
  
The darker-haired mortal sighed. "I don't know, Bell-sama," she replied a moment later. "The only times I've ever encountered magic, it's been really bad on the one who receives it."  
  
The goddess waved a hand. "This time, Akane," she reassured the girl, "whatever you decide to request, we will do everything we can to make it so that it will turn out for the best."   
  
The younger girl firmed her resolve. "So," she sighed, "how do we do this?"  
  
"Just say the wish that is in your heart," the megami sitting across from her responded.  
  
Akane jerked her head in a short, sharp nod. "I wish," she stated, "that I could have a chance to be beside Ranma, as an equal, to show him that I love him and have eternity to be there."  
  
From all around her, light seemed to suddenly exist; bright, but in no way blinding or even harmful. A deep, fatherly voice seemed to speak from within her, as much as from everywhere around. -TENDO AKANE,- this all-encompassing presence inquired, -TO GRANT THIS, I MUST ASK YOU: WHAT IS TRULY IN YOUR HEART? ARE YOU WILLING TO FACE THE TRIALS THAT I MUST GIVE YOU?-  
  
She gulped. "I am," she answered.  
  
A second voice, female, chuckled and spoke to the first. =I WILL HELP HER, 'KAMI-SAMA'. IT HAS BEEN A WHILE SINCE A MORTAL HAS WISHED TO BE WITH A LOVED ONE AND EVEN LONGER SINCE IT HAS BEEN PHRASED IN _THAT_ WAY.=  
  
The first voice chortled, filling her with a rare joy. -VERY WELL, THEN.- the male presence replied. -WE WILL MEET SOON, TENDO AKANE. BE YE WELL.-  
  
The all-encompassing brightness began to fade, but the female entity spoke once more. =GO WITH BELLDANDY, AKANE-CHAN,= she stated. =YOU MUST PREPARE YOURSELF. THE TESTS WILL BEGIN IN THE MORNING.=  
  
Blinking her eyes, she noted the goddess smiling at her. "That," she stated, with no trace of irony, "is a big wish, Akane."  
  
****************************************************************************  
  
  
Akane stood upon shaky legs as she regarded the sidecar attached to the classic motorcycle. "Belldandy?' she asked the goddess, who was now garbed in riding leathers. The slightly unnerving image of someone so, well, holy, garbed in silver studded black leather was giving her the willies.  
  
"Yes, Akane?" the Norn encouraged as she tugged the half-gloves on.  
  
The mortal woman swallowed a lump. "Why do we need to take a motorcycle?" she squeaked, then cleared her throat. In a more normal voice, she continued. "Wouldn't we catch a sunbeam or have angels lift us to the heavens?"  
  
Belldandy chuckled musically. "Of course not," she chided. "My sisters and I live with my husband at a temple nearby. Why should we have to use any higher powered travel than this old Harley?'   
  
Her eyes wide, Akane slid into the sidecar. "You live on Earth? Why?"   
  
The goddess slipped on her helmet, hiding her features. "Well," she finished, "my Keiiichi _is_ a mortal."  
  
Overwhelmed, the youngest Tendo girl fainted.  
  
***************************************************************************  
  
  
  
TBC...  
  
  
  
Author's notes: Here is one that was so old, I didn't find it until I checked an old diskette. It was one I had contemplated for a long time, started, then lost the rough draft for over FIVE YEARS! It's a little alternate beginning, based upon the simple fact that, in the right circumstances, even the strongest can be caught napping.   
  
Plus, I could just _see_ someone like Belldandy wearing a full set of black leather, couldn't you??  
  
  



	2. Action and Reaction

Orbits in Decay  
  
Chapter 2:  
  
  
"The moon is not, per se, in a stable orbit. It will take time to finally fall to Earth. The accident that pulled it bodily from where it had started from couldn't have placed it in any sort of true non-decaying orbit. The shear power involved would have turned us into another asteroid belt."  
-High school Physics instructor, when asked about action and reaction..  
  
  
  
Urd, by the simple fact of her hovering nearby, was the first to answer the phone. She placed the receiver by her ear, knowing that it involved the current wish that Bell had just been told to grant. "This is the Morisato and Odinschide residence. May I help you?"  
  
Skuld, who had recently decided that she was finally experienced enough to take another shot at being an adult, stuck her head out of her room and made a 'who is it?' gesture. She received her answer as she watched her eldest sister blanch slightly and stick a single finger straight up, then clench her fist and flash it open. She gave Urd a quick nod. 'Pop', indeed. She waited patiently until her now whey-faced and shivering older sister hung up the earthly device, then her curiosity got the better of her. "So, Urd-neechan," she hummed in a somewhat sly tone, "did Father chew you out?"  
  
The white-maned goddess stood blinking for about a minute, then seemed to pull herself back into the here and now. "Squirt," she stated in a flat voice, "Kami-sama just set up three Labors for that girl of Ameratsu's."  
  
The youngest of the Norn began to bigsweat. "B-b-but that means...," she stuttered out.  
  
Urd tucked her legs up underneath herself. "I know," she agreed. "What makes it even worse is that Ama-chan wants us to administer them."  
  
This registered to the younger megami. "Uhhh," she gurgled, "doesn't a Labor-level testing need a..."  
  
The older goddess sighed. "It's being handled," she confided. "They'll get here in about an hour."  
  
***********************************************  
  
  
}}SENBEI!! MARA!! SCARLET!!! GET IN HERE, NOW!!!{{ The overwhelming bellow of a disturbed Hild caused the three summoned to move with such aclarity that they managed to wedge themselves into the doorway.   
  
Scarlet, who looked surprisingly like a fiery-haired version of Nabiki Tendo, managed to elbow the other two backwards and propel herself to stand in front of the onyx slab that served as the fallen Goddess' desktop. "Whatcha' want, Boss?" she growled. "I was just in the middle of a really good assignment."  
  
The white-haired 'Goddess of Nielfhelm' glared at the snide demoness. "I don't give a set of warm rat's entrails what YOU wanted," she hissed, letting her aura crackle around herself. "My brother is letting that Tendo girl have a chance to be with her soul mate."  
  
Mara was suddenly within a half centimeter of facefaulting onto Hild's desk. "WHAAA!" she shrieked. "The little mortal that couldn't hold her temper is getting a chance at THAT??"  
  
Hild chuckled. "Yes," she replied. "Three Labors, the girl has to pass two. The Norn are the administrators, you three are the controls." She let her face fall into a rare neutral look. "But we have a little problem."  
  
The tiny 'God of Misfortune' spoke up. "Senbei asks what problem, Mistress?"  
  
The Archdemoness continued in a flat voice. "Her sponsor is Ameratsu," she husked.  
  
Their reply was unanimous. "GULP!"  
  
************************************************  
  
  
Kami-sama sat back in his chair. "So," he stated in a neutral, almost-mortal, voice, "do you think that this girl has what it takes?"  
  
His visitor belted her sword around her waist, over a set of mortal-looking clothing: a pair of bleached denim slacks and a red wool work shirt. "That girl has a lot of drive," she replied. "I haven't seen her like since... well, since Susano-o managed to get me out of my last funk."  
  
The leader of the heavens let out a booming chuckle. "She's really gotten to you, hasn't she?" she asked around his chuckles.  
  
Ameratsu pulled her hair from it's customary bun to allow it to hang free around her neck, lightening the color to a strawberry blond as she did. "You should know why," she chided.  
  
His smirk widened. "Yes, I do," he conceded. "As it was said in America, 'She's a real spitfire'." He tilted His head to one side, looking at her a bit quizzically. "But why in My name are you dressing like that?"  
  
The Japanese sun goddess grinned as she tweaked her eye color to a glowing red-amber. "It wouldn't do for her to catch on to just why I have such an interest in her, now would it?" she snickered.  
  
"No," He agreed. "It wouldn't." He waved her off. "So say I, meet with thy charge, watch over her and bring her to me and My sister, here when it is done."  
  
Ameratsu felt her hair 'toing' out into a full halo. "WHAT...!!!!" she squeaked as she faded out.  
  
**********************************************  
  
  
[[[AUTHOR'S NOTE: Don't get your panties into a knot over this... It's all just setup.]]]  
  
**********************************************  
  
  
Akane's first image upon awakening was the sun just passing behind the tiled roof of a temple. Allowing herself a few moments to get her bearings, she had to chuckle at herself for her obvious daydream.  
  
"Tendo-san?"  
  
Which lasted for all of a half-second. She moved as if Gosunkugi had just laid one of his cold, clammy hands upon her tail bone; in a move that Belldandy would later swear upon her own godhead was a instinctive teleport, the dark-haired mortal was suddenly plastered against the inside of the compound's wall. "Belldandy-sama!" she eeped.  
  
The gray-maned goddess, once again in the sundress she was wearing in the restaurant, stood there giving her a look that her own sister often used; the one that seemed to say, 'why in the world are you acting so silly?'  
  
She allowed her back to unmold itself from the plaster-covered stone. "Ah-heh," she chuckled weakly. "I thought I was just dreaming all this."  
  
"It's no dream," a gently smiling Belldandy soothed. "In fact, Ameratsu is waiting inside the shrine itself to talk with you."  
  
A soft, warm contralto voice sing-songed from the large structure mentioned. "Bell-chan?' the young-sounding voice called. "Could you send her in here? I'd like to speak with her/"  
  
The mortal woman staggered slightly to the indicated doorway, her face in a ghastly, grin-like rictus. "Ara,ara,ara,ara," she stammered.  
  
The door slid open in front of her, revealing a goddess that appeared to be around her own age. The deity was clothed in a nondescript pair of faded jeans and a button down scarlet work shirt. Her sunset-colored eyes twinkled with an inner fire that matched the asterisk-shaped sigil centered on her brow. "Ah, hello Akane-chan," the Japanese deity in drab greeted her. "Come in." She grabbed the mortal woman's arm and bodily hauled the girl into the building, shutting the door behind them. The fair haired goddess took a few minutes to walk around the stiffened mortal. "Ah, yes, hmm, well, alright, acceptable," she muttered as she poked, prodded and judged. She paused and took a closer look at her charge. "Akane-chan," she probed gently, "what is wrong?'  
  
Akane felt as if she were being laid open by a gigantic mad doctor; every bit of evil she had ever done, as well as all the unrewarded good, was on display. She felt...  
  
"WAAAAAH!!!!!"  
  
...extremely unworthy. She spun away, shaking like a leaf and bawling like a baby, until a set of warm arms wrapped around her.  
  
"Shh," the fiery-haired goddess murmured into her ear. "There is nothing to be afraid of, Akane-chan. No matter what may happen, I will be there to help you."  
  
The dark-haired girl hiccuped a couple times as her tears slowed. "You w-will?" she managed around a tight throat.  
  
The slightly taller goddess leaned over her shoulder to look into her eyes. "I sponsored your wish," she pointed out. "You want to be with Ranma, right?" She watched Akane nod, then smiled grimly. "And that will be your greatest strength in your Labors."  
  
The Tendo girl could hear the emphasis in the final word. "Ameratsu-sama," she began.  
  
The goddess pouted cutely. "Call me Ama-chan, ne?"  
  
Akane gulped. "Ama-ch-chan," she reiterated, "Of all the wishes that are filled..."  
  
The goddess lifted a single finger to place upon the mortal girl's lip. "Why yours, right?" Not waiting for a reply, the goddess released her and turned Akane to look her in the eyes. "Why not? Of all the people that I can claim as my 'worshipers,' there are darn few that have the conviction to stand up to the abuse that you did. Right or wrong, you were always honest with what you believed in, never backing down or giving an inch unless it was truly necessary." She wiped a stray tear from the blushing girl's cheek. "You, one of the few who were never a conformist, were also the only one to stick to this self-imposed ideal. And as Aphrodite says, 'Love will find a way'." A sly smirk formed. "So, stick to your guns, girl."  
  
Akane giggled softly. "Alright, Ama-chan," she promised. After a moment, she sobered. "Um," she inquired softly, "what are these Labors I'm going to have to do?"  
  
The sun goddess' expression was suddenly all business. "Sit, Akane, and I will inform you." She followed the other woman down and waited a few moments for her to get comfortable. "Now, I can't tell you exactly what your Labors will be right now, but the practice is one to test the qualities that are needed by a particular being to fulfill a contract. Wishes like yours are just one sort of contract; but a wish of the magnitude that you made is such that it automatically falls into such a test."  
  
The mortal girl twirled her thumbs. "How does the testing work?" she asked quietly.  
  
Ameratsu sighed. "The judges in a Labor are generally those who are not involved directly. In this case, that is a problem; your wish rattled a lot of the structure in the spirit plane. So, the judges in this will most likely be..." She cleared her throat, then pointed one index finger up and the other straight down. "The bosses."  
  
"Really?" Akane squeaked in so high of a pitch that, had she been talking to anyone mortal, she would have not been heard.  
  
"Mm-hmm," the goddess confirmed. "Now, about the Labors themselves...."  
  
**********************************************  
  
  
The three Norse goddesses traced the first warding circle in the small lot near the shrine. As the three worked, the youngest of them asked the big question. "Why are we the ones to test this girl?"  
  
Surprisingly, Urd was the one to answer. "Father wanted the test to be complex, I suspect. Between the three of us, time itself is open, as well as love, nature and technology."  
  
Bell finished the sigil she was working on and looked up at her sisters. "Here comes our counterparts from Nielfhelm," she stated quietly.  
  
The other two rounded quickly, to see the three approaching while waving a soot-gray cloth. "Hold, Norn," Scarlet warned. "We come under the oath of Testing." She swept a low bow. "To the goddesses and mortal involved, we only will do as we were bid from our Fell Mistress." A low grumble rose from the ground. The fiery maned demoness glared downward. "C'mon Boss, it's in the script." A softer grumble issued. "Alright, alright." The demoness turned her glare back toward the deities. "Let's get the he...ck on with it."  
  
The three demons each pulled out chunks of charcoal to start scoring out glyphs to match the already drawn deifiic writing. The structure rapidly formed, shining with a combination of golden glory and fitful reddened glare. As the last marks were made, the circle flared once.  
  
In the place of a circle drawn in the dirt with chalk and charcoal, there now stood a disk of swirled white and black marble, with the writing embedded within in alternating black iron and chromed silver.  
  
The six supernatural entities stood then in a rough line, each with a slightly awed expression. "It's ready," they stated in chorus.  
  
*********************************************  
  
  
As the skies became fully dark, the two groups finally sat together in the modestly sized tea room in the house attached to the shrine. Akane had expressed a few reservations about being around demonic beings, but was reassured somewhat when Belldandy had explained that they were here as the contingent for the 'other side,' so to speak.  
  
Scarlet began the introductions. "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Tendo," the demonic image of her year-older sister. "I am known as Scarlet, Demoness of Greed and Rage." She sketched a sardonic bow. "Until that little, heh, 'drama' a few years ago, I was assigned to watch and influence your family because of that mortal, Happosai." The nefarious oni smirked in a condescending manner. "Pity, it would have been fun to drag you down."  
  
Senbei, temporarily enlarged to human size, made a formal bow. "I Senbei, Spirit of Misfortune. Senbei also know Family of Tendo." He grinned in restrained glee. "Made Senbei happy-dance several times."  
  
The final demoness gave her a jaunty wave. "Mara, Demoness of Inappropriate Moments," she chuckled. "Seems we all had worked on you at one time or another."  
  
Akane sighed. "I'm touched, really," she stated, deadpan.  
  
Both Mara and Urd giggled. At the mortal girl's askance look, the goddess in question responded. "We've all looked at your files, Akane-san. Between you and your Ranma, just about every kami and oni has meddled in your life. About the only one who hasn't done anything is Loki."  
  
The raven haired girl blinked. "Loki didn't mess with either of us?" she puzzled. "Isn't he the God of Mischief in Norse mythology?"  
  
Mara answered her. "Yeah," the demoness chuckled. "The one time I ran into him, he was just shaking his head. He said that if he meddled, it would've probably made things better than what they did. Plus, he said that both Hild and Kami-sama forbid him."  
  
Ameratsu began to giggle. "Loki-kun was so mad!" she snorted. "The only way he was able to calm down was to replace Susano-o's spiked club with a inflatable bat."  
  
Everyone pictured this, and began to laugh.  
  
The ice broken, the tension spent temporarily, each was able to relax until it was time for the lone mortal to go to bed. Akane slipped quietly into bed, whispering, "I'll be with you soon, anata."  
  
********************************************  
  
SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE OF ALL UNDERSTANDING:  
  
The place was neither Asgard nor Nielfhelm, neither holy nor profane. Made long ago, it was a place to allow various beings from either side to get away from the rigors of eternity for a moment.  
  
It was also standing room only.  
  
One entire wall was a television. Or to be exact, something so advanced from television as television was from cave paintings. It didn't matter. The amassed beings were waiting for the entertainment to begin: one half of the 'Nerima Duo' was about to begin her first Labor. With all that this pair had done, this was bound to be good.  
  
Regardless if the girl passed, the entertainment was bound to be good.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTES:  
  
Here we go! The Labors are set to begin! Thanks to Metroanime for the idea of Laboring, I have a few ideas.  
  
Even if I totally BONE this, I want to have a little FUN! So just play along with me, alright?  
  
Do I need to say anything about who owns these characters? Thought not.  



	3. Escape Velocity

Escape Velocity  
  
  
  
"The simplest way to describe escape velocity is to say that it is the speed at which you can break gravity's grip. But gravity has a really strong grip." - H.S. Physics  
  
  
The sunlight in her eyes awoke the youngest Tendo. She stretched herself slightly, then remembered just why she had spent the night at this particular temple. It seemed that both the Heavens and the Hells wanted to test her resolve to join Ranma wherever he was. In what may seem like decades or centuries to her, - or might very well be that long, she wasn't clear on the point, - but would only be a day here, she would be subjected to three Labors, each one a sort of quest to examine her resolve to clear up sticking points in her spiritual accounts. Until the start of each portion, she would have no idea what she was doing there.  
  
A timid male voice, one she had never heard before, spoke through the rice paper of the door. "Miss Tendo?" he asked in a murmur. "Belldandy left some breakfast for you. You need to come out and eat before you go to the ceremony."  
  
"Hai," she replied. "I'll be out in a moment." She listened to the sound of his footsteps walking away and sighed. 'Why must it always be so difficult for either Ranma or myself ?' she muttered in her mind. 'Whenever we get close, it seems we end up farther away than when we started.'  
  
She slipped into her clothes and returned to the tea room that she had met the goddesses and demons the previous night. The septet of supernatural beings were dressed in the clothing of their offices; the goddesses wearing bright, loose fabrics and ribbons, the demons in dark leathers and coarse fabrics that hugged their bodies. With nary a word, they nodded to her, then the table. She moved over quickly and consumed the slight repast quickly.  
  
As she laid her chopsticks down, Amaterasu finally spoke. "Akane Tendo,, are you prepared for your first Labor?"  
  
She swallowed slightly, then steeled herself. "I am, Amaterasu-sama," she stated in a fiem voice.  
  
The golden-red haired goddess bobbed her head in a quick nod. "We shall go now to the place of testing," she replied. She stepped to the side of the dark haired mortal girl and walked her out the door, the six others falling in behind them in two lines that matched one deity with their closest demonic counterpart. Within a few minutes walk, they had reached the platform that had been prepared the previous night. Amaterasu walked her to the middle of the disk, then returned to stand at the head-point of a seven-pointed star that traced itself into being under the marbled surface in lines of light the color of lead. The six others quickly went to the remaining points, alternating as they did so that Urd stood across from Scarlet, Belldandy opposite of Mara and Skuld counter of Senbei.  
  
The Japanese sun goddess now faced Akane. "Akane Tendo," the goddess intoned in a voice that seemed to reverberate in the area enclosed within the stone surface. "This is the place of thy Laboring. From here, this day, thou will be tested thrice. At the end of this day, all will know if thou are worthy of thy wish."  
  
The other six beings on the edges of the circle began to chant, the lilting notes of the goddess' chorus blending in an odd harmony with the demons' grating mantra. As they did, a globe of swirling golden luminance and glaring scarlet radiance formed around her. Within moments, the light was all she saw; soon after, she saw no more.  
  
***************  
  
AT THE NOWHERE BAR, OUTSIDE SPACE AND TIME:  
  
The beings that sat at the largest table shared only one thing in common - they were of a different existance than mortal man. Some were natural spirits sided with either of the two sides; others, lesser demonic beings akin to imps and blessed beings alike to cherubs, beings that assisted the real movers and shakers of the supernatural realms. A few at the tables, only three of the score watching from that position, were the upper echelon of the Heavens or the Hells.  
  
The three we are focusing on were waiting for the big show to begin on the display. The first, a demon of middle ranking, looked across at the higher ranked deity opposite him. "Sif," he growled, in what passed for his kind as good manners, "ya' really think this mortal's got tha guts to get through this?"  
  
The norse goddess took a long drink of her cinnamon mead. "Belthor," she replied in a sigh, "guts she's got. But you know, as well as anyone here, that guts are not all that is tested in a Labor."  
  
Belthor nodded. "Yah, yah," he agreed, waving his free hand lasily as he lifted his glass of a thick, red substance. "A Laboring will test a person's true hear; their willingness to place everything toward reaching a goal, their focus on the problem and the power of their spirit in situations beyond their control," he chanted, as if reading something written on a chunk of granite.  
  
The wife of Thor smirked. "That girl," she stated in a chortle, "will probably surprise us all." She grinned as the demon's drink shot out of his nose.  
  
The third higher being, sitting there in a cloak that hid all features from all levels of detection, shook as if in laughter; the demon and goddess looked at the odd-being-out as if they were crazy. The mysterious being waved a sleeve, as if to appologize for it's faux pas.  
  
As Belthor wiped the thick liquid from his face, the goddess grinned. "Are you still drinking cherry drink mix made with six times the sugar and almost no water?" she inquired.  
  
The demon nodded as he blew his nose into a napkin. "H-sama made it my secondary," he retorted. "She told me that if I were going to be looking around for it everywhere, I might as well have a reason."  
  
***************  
  
ASGARD, THE OFFICE OF KAMI-SAMA:  
  
Kami-Sama sat on one side of His desk from His adversary and love, Hild of Neilfhelm. "And with this," He stated, with no attempt to enhance His voice, "the chance of getting things moving again grows."  
  
The white maned leader of the nether realms gave the supreme god a soft smile. "She definitely caused a stir while she was with that Ranma boy," she admitted. "They were one set of favored targets for most of the demons and malicious spirits. Pity, that at the point of their winning through, that all the tricks played on them bore such bitter fruit."  
  
He leaned back in His chair. "Sometimes," he mused, "the bitterest fruit makes the best desserts." He just grinned as Hild speared him with a glare.  
  
***************  
  
She found herself in a reality composed of pure gray. No features, no landmarks. Just an unending expanse of the neutral color, without form and void.  
  
She looked around. "Where am I?' she yelled out into the void.  
  
LIMBO  
  
The response was from nowhere, yet surrounded her on all sides. It was as if bellowed, yet came as silent as a spring breeze. "Why am I here?" she whimpered, as she twisted her body to seek the speaker.  
  
TO PREPARE YOU FOR YOUR FIRST LABOR  
  
A memory tugged at her. The goddess. The wish. The requirements. "I'm ready."  
  
THE SCULPTURE TELLS THE SCULPTOR NOT WHEN IT IS READY  
  
Anger, an old ally to her, did not fail her here. "Who are YOU to tell me that?" she growled.  
  
THE ARTIST THAT MUST MOLD YOU FOR YOUR ROLL  
  
With that, sensations bombarded the girl from all sides. Her senses were flodded, her memories manipulated. She felt no pain; in fact, she felt no different than when she arrived. Just before the scene faded from her awareness, the sourceless, bodyless, voiceless prescence stated one more thing.  
  
NOW YOU ARE READY  
  
  
  
TBC..........  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: To quote Kosh from B5: 'An so, it begins...' I'm still a little muddy on how the first Labor will go, but I needed to post SOMEthing. I promised that I would post once I got my new computer; I have now ditched my 350 Mhz Celeron for a 2.6 Ghz (2600 Mhz) model that has scads more memory and a hard drive that would adsorb my whole library and ask for more! That's not even including my DVD-ROM & DVD±R/±RW drive sets! Wa-HOOO!!! I'm now in the current decade's computer level!  
  
So now, I'll start the First Labor itself. Any C&C or suggestions - flames will be redirected to Hild for reply - are to be sent to centauress2 (at) sprintpcs (period) com  



	4. Force of Gravity

AUTHOR'S FORWARD:

The H.S. Physics course referenced is one for students who really didn't bother on schooling much beyond high school. The instructor was trying to build interest in the real world, not train Nuclear Physicists. The man was also in his late seventies, so he had been teaching for over fifty years!

  
  


  
  


  
  


"The force of gravity is interesting. Unlike electromagnetism, there has been no 'negative' to the attraction of two objects discovered yet. I'm sure that if someone were to find it, they would be the richest person alive." - H.S. Physics

"Steam is the greatest wonder in the world!" - Doctor Steamhead, Ninja High School 

  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


Hotaru opened her eyes slowly. It had been six months since she had stopped Pharaoh 90, and for the first time since then, she had returned to her true age. With a small groan, she ripped the last persistent threads that held her too-small nightgown together.

  
  


She sighed to herself. She was sixteen, just a year younger than her nominal 'parents;' yet for the last half year, she had gone through a literal 'second childhood.' 'Papa' and her motorcycle, 'Mama-Michi' with her violin. She knew that they loved her, now; but in the back of her mind, she realized that, for all of that current affection, they were devoted to their own relationship. If only it were her turn at a relationship! With that thought in mind, she faded back into the arms of Morpheus.

* * *

Usa tensed, as she heard the soft chiming from the mystical device that she carried. She reached up to the oval 'meatball' of hair over her right eye and pulled out the Time Key that was hidden there. As soon as the crystalline object was revealed, she had to smile. It was pulsing with a radiance that was at odds with the usual recall color of a sky blue. Instead, the magical Key was throwing off a pulse of color identical to what an American she heard call 'black light': a purple hue that made certain colors shine as if lit from inside.

  
  


Her face, usually pixish and good natured, suddenly twisted in an expression that would cause most of her friends and relatives to blanch. Instead of a cute pout, or a sweet smile that would almost give a person cavities, her smile was one of a predator.

  
  


For Usa, the nine hundred year old with the mind and body of a nine year old, could drop the act. She hadn't actually been like that for ages. Puu, or rather Setsuna, had warned her that if the others were to find out that she was here to do something entirely different than 'training' for her duties as Sailor Moon, then the future would collapse in paradox. The future Senshi of Time assured her that once the proper signal had been sent, she could return to her proper age.

  
  


She did so, in a soft shimmer of pale pink light that faded to a white flecked with silver. Her body lengthened, until she appeared to be nearly identical to Usagi, barring her pink hair and eyes. The smile remained in place, as her eyes closed again.

* * *

"This is just not my day," The spirit of Akane moaned in the rainbow colored void she found herself in. She continued to rant softly, until a soft giggle notified her that she had a visitor to her dream-realm. She turned and noticed that Amaterasu was standing there.

The sunset-haired goddess grinned widely. "It's about time you awoke," she chuckled. "You are about to start your First Labor."

The Tendo girl beamed in her excitement. "I am?" she squeaked. "What is it?"

The goddess grinned. "It's simple," she assured the mortal girl. "All that you need to do is to fall in love with the Analogue of Ranma. That is the goal of this Labor."

Akane grinned. "Not a problem."

Amaterasu's smile became sly. "Oh, is it?" she chided. "Open yourself to your memories for this life."

The mortal girl shut her eyes to focus her inner vision. The goddess watched as her face twisted quickly through the entire range of emotions. After a few moments, she opened her eyes and speared the divine being with a glare. "Have you ever had one of those days?" she asked snidely.

The goddess sighed dramatically. "Remember your mythology?" she inquired. "Susano-o yanked me from my retreat." She began to pace in the nothingness. "This is a test. It isn't going to be easy. All the people who could be your soul mate here are female. Is it so bad to love someone because of who they are and not for their body's shape?"

Akane considered this, then nodded. "My Ranma changed form," she admitted. "So what is the difference if this one is full-time female?"

Amaterasu winked. "That's the spirit," she encouraged. "Now, all the possible people involved in this are the same age as you. The stage is set." The image of the goddess faded, her voice disappearing only after the body did. "I'll be watching you...."

Once again alone in the swirling void, Akane sighed. "At least I'm still a tomboy," she chuckled to herself, as she began to awaken...

* * *

  
  


As the various members of the Sailor Scouts awoke, each knew that something was different. Without being sure of the dynamic, each was certain that their relationship had moved to a different level than it had been previously.

In some locations, such as the house where the Outers lived, it was obvious. As Haruka and Micheru wandered down to breakfast, they froze as they beheld a matured Hotaru cooking breakfast for a smirking Setsuna, while the pair chatted about inconsequential things.

At the Tsukino residence, when Usagi jetted down the stairs and beheld a certain bubblegum-haired twin talking with her 'Aunt Ikuko' while the pair set the table, she managed to hit the throw rug in just the right way to have a surprise ride to the front door.

At three of the other's apartments, the only indication was a sense of anticipation, mixed with a dosage of dread.

And in the final location, one girl opened her eyes and looked upon the world with a sense of need. Out there was her True Love, and this 'Warrior of Love and Justice' was going to find her!

  
  


  
  


  
  


Setsuna stepped into her office at the high school and waved at a bookcase. Without any fanfare, the fixture vanished, leaving a stone doorway covered with indecipherable runes. Into this new arch she stepped and vanished into the Time Stream.

The jade haired woman appeared at the location of her appointed vigil. There, she met her companion for the following exercise. "There you are, Ama-chan," she chided. "Couldn't you watch this from Yggdrasil?"

The goddess matched the smirk on the other woman's face. "With Toltir running that Bet nonsense?' she grumbled. "Hardly. All the excess bandwidth is being used to monitor the threads that the cat's 'participants' have made."

The senshi of Time shuddered. "Quite," she murmured. "That... 'thing' was messing with Crystal Tokyo. I know that removing the choice removes the ability to grow," she started to cry gently, "but I'm locked into this mess by Geas."

The mother-goddess of the Japanese people gave her a friendly hug. "Look at the future now," she encouraged the distraught woman.

The jade-maned woman did so. The Time Gate was showing three distinct futures. The first was Crystal Tokyo, as it always had been. The second, A Tokyo, but one that seemed... dull, sad and dying.

The third.... Oh, by the Kami in the Heavens, it was beautiful. True, evil still existed; but here, evil and pain were experiences that caused the spirit to grow to overcome them. The goodness that existed here, instead of the staidness evident in the crystal-laden future, had depth due to the shadows that gave an everlasting vibrancy to everything.

"What is this?" she sighed in awe.

Amaterasu smiled benignly. "This is the deciding branch toward the future," she assured Setsuna. "The choice is: to 'cleanse' the ability to choose, and become stagnant; to walk away and let the world die in filth; or do you work to protect from the overwhelming Evils and keep the things that assure growth?"

Setsuna moaned. "If I could," she shouted, as she began to weep freely, "I'd choose the third!" Her tears dried instantly, as her companion formed a nimbus of light around herself. The goddess' head tilted back, as if looking toward the heavens even while in a place outside of time itself.

A bolt of light leapt from the upturned sigil on the goddess' brow, shrieking into the uncharitable distance. "_Pseudo-immortal Setsuna Meiou,_" Amaterasu stated in a voice that reverberated with power, "_you have served a kingdom that existed in the distant past, the only survivor of it, through twenty millennia while under a compulsion to bring it to it's ultimate end._" The goddess' eyes opened as her head lowered to face her. The hazel eyes speared into her scarlet ones. "_Do you wish to guide this travesty to a better path? Is this your heartfelt wish?_"

The ancient Senshi of Time realized who was speaking now. "Kami-Sama," she whispered, a spark of hope growing in her barren soul. "I do so wish that I were able."

The spirit inhabiting the goddess nodded the deity's head. "_Your wish, oh My daughter,_" the supreme being assured her, "_is happily granted. Guide them away from Serenity Ishtar's folly._" Amaterasu's hand rose, to trace the planetary symbol that appeared upon Setsuna's brow. "_I Revoke this Geas from you._"

Setsuna began to laugh in long-restrained joy, as the knot in her psyche simply disappeared. She could now release the pent-up pain of following an order that she knew was not only wrong, but ultimately deadly to everyone.

The Folly of the Moon Kingdom was no more.

* * *

**The Nowhere Bar and Grill:**

Ares groaned at Loki. "Look at this," he growled, waving his hand at the display. "Even that Insufferable Nothing, Grey, had a harder time than this girl does." He lowered his gaze to the drink in his grip. "'All you have to do is find your soul mate,' says ol' Weepy Lightbritches."

The Norse god of chaos smirked. "I don't know," he mused, stroking his bare chin idly. "She has no clue as to which girl she needs to pick. Quite chaotic, I'd say."

Dis, sitting at the next table over, leaned her head back to spear both gods with an upside-down glance. "You know," she confided, "it would make it more interesting to make these Scouts a rival group of identically powered counterparts. You know, a competing group of warriors, 'we're better than you are' sort of competition. I know the South Teams would be happy to field some, how do they put it, 'disposable targets,' to get the ball rolling.

Azmodeous and Baal leaned in. "Not fair," Baal growled. "Maybe us Underworlders want to be heroes, too, hmmm?"

The Demon lord of flies and insects bobbed his head. "Yeah!" he chimed in. "If these warriors are going to the mortals' Champions and Defenders, evil should have a chance to fight alongside them."

Loki's face split into an ear-to-ear grin. "In-teresting," he acknowledged. "But, you realize, that Silver Millenium Crystal is a Level 5 Cleansing arttifact."

A line of text appeared on the bottom of the screen, displaying alternately in heavenly and demonic script. 'AS OF THIS MOMENT,' the writing read in both languages, 'THE ARTIFACT KNOWN AS THE SILVER CRYSTAL IS NOW AN ARTIFACT OF BALANCE, CLASS EIGHT. THIS HOLDS FOR THIS PLANE AND THIS PLANE ONLY.'

A second line followed the first. 'BY THE WAY,' the marquee-line read. 'WE, THE LEADERS OF THE HEAVENS AND THE HELLS, WILL ALLOW THREE AVATARS OF GOOD, THREE OF EVIL AND THREE OF CHAOS, FOR BALANCE. OF EACH REALM, THE CHOSEN MUST HAVE ONE LAWFUL, ONE NEUTRAL AND ONE CHAOTIC. WE HAVE SPOKEN.'

Sudden grins abounded, no matter the orientation. The last time any of them have cooperated, a new pantheon had formed. This time, it was for Reality itself! Whee!

A sourceless voice suddenly froze the celebration. "BuT wHAt abOuT thE OPpoNEnTs?" a scratchy/silky/gooey voice asked.

Bar nuts, pretzels and sugar cubes rained down upon a honestly curious demoness/goddess of confusion. 

* * *

**The office of Kami-Sama:**

The supreme being of Good smirked at Hild, as she lowered her slim fingers from the keyboard. "You know," he chuckled, "Konranko does have a point."

The white-maned Dark Goddess growled. "Her hair covers that nicely," she muttered.

He shook His head gently. "No," he hazarded, "I meant about the first challenges. The Balance Scouts will need to go against some opponents, and not necessarily all evil."

Hild pondered this. "Hmm," she muttered, "that is a good point, strangely enough. If they aren't seen as capable, they won't be available when the real menace arrives." She blinked. "But aren't menaces, by their very names, made of evil?"

Kami propped his heels on the desk. "What of a group of people, coming in goodwill, attempting to change a people, whole-cloth, into their idea of 'rightness'?"

The neifhelmer blinked. "Point made," she conceded. A dark thought struck her. "Wouldn't our Scouts just fight amongst themselves?"

He sucked on His lower lip in anxiousness. "They might, if they aren't forced into a team mindset early enough." He waved His own keyboard into being, and began to type furiously. "Where is He? Where is he?" He growled. Suddenly, he stopped, a broad grin suffusing His features. "Ah-HAH!" His fingers blurred momentarily, then paused. "Yes, not that, maybe," he stated absently, then blinked. "SHE would?" He sucked in a whistling breath. "Ooo," he cooed. "SNEA-ky!"

Hild watched through the other side of the molecule-thin screen, her own features mimicking Kami-Sama's. "You, my dear," she whispered huskily, "occasionally show me why I was with you before."

He just flashed her His patented rougish grin. "I do, don't I?" The office settled into a comfortable silence, occasionally broken by soft key-clicks and giggles of the two supreme beings.

TBC.....

  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


Author's Notes: Whew! Here it is, the beginning of the First Labor. A group of planetary warriors, with Akane as one of the members, are going to have some competition. A group composed of all nine classes of being – AD&D rules – fighting for the protection of the Solar System.

That's not including Setsuna being released from her Geas, Kami-Sama and Hild throwing challenges both groups AND the youngest of the Sailor Scouts becoming the same age as the others.

This Labor could be called 'Sailing the Chaotic Seas of Reality,' couldn't it?

C&C – Flames sent to heat Kami-Sama's coffee – welcomed at centauress2 (at) sprintpcs (period) com

  
  



	5. Cometary Orbit

"Cometary orbits are really interesting. A piece of debris, that gets pulled into an orbit that may only passes by a star once or might become a permanent body in the system. Haley's Comet is just one of the most famous of these heavenly bodies." - HS Physics

"The Devil's in the details. It's just that the details are important enough to warrant letting the Devil get his chance." - Anonymous

  
  


  
  


  
  


"Is it just me," a bemused Usagi inquired of her near-twin/future daughter, as they made their way to the Juuban High School, "or do you take after your mother?"

Usa smirked, flipping a ponytail over a shoulder with a negligent hand. "Funny," she mock-growled. Her face twisted into a haughty, 'better-than-thou' expression. "I'll have you know that this is 'high fashion' where I'm from." She couldn't stop herself form giggling slightly. "But it was priceless to see the look on Luna's face as she came downstairs this morning."

They both snickered as they remembered the look on the poor, black moon-cat. The furry adviser had reached the bottom of the stairs, where she had seen the pink- and blond-haired duo arguing on who was going to use the 'bunny' bookbag. At that point, she had stood there, mouth agape and eyes bugged out for a whole minute, before she had creakily fell forward into a slow-motion faceplant, already unconscious.

The pair spent the rest of the, for once, slow paced walk to the schoolyard chatting about inconsequential things.

* * *

Hotaru sighed as she straightened her new uniform skirt, under the watchful eyes of her barely-older 'guardians'. "Mou, Haruka-kun," she groused, stealing a glance at the blond in the boy's uniform, "why can't I wear a uniform like yours?" She tugged at the pleated blue fabric once more. "I hate how this gives perverts 'panty shots'."

Michuru waited for a moment for her significant other to respond. When she heard nothing but strained breathing, she glanced over at her companion, then slapped a hand over her face.

The blond's face was twisting between three expressions: a leer of perversion, the patented 'parental outrage' glare and outright shock.

The former child rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "Forgot who I was talking to," she muttered. She waited for a few moments, then cleared her throat. "Back to my question," she growled lightly.

The turquoise-maned senshi of water waited for a few more moments, then used her free hand to slap Haruka in the back of the head. "Love," she growled out in a voice that indicated her displeasure, "answer the question that _our daughter_ asked you."

The strike in the back of her head, coupled with the irate tone, pulled the tomboy from her brain-freeze. "Ahem, well," she stated, falling into a phony 'preaching father' attitude, – which was destroyed by the glint of lechery still glittering in her eyes, - "but it is only proper for a young lady, like yourself, to wear the proper garments. As for myself, I am not 'proper', so I can get away with wearing male clothes." She then ruined any value in her statement, when she continued absentmindedly with, "Now, surprisingly, Ami or Makoto could pull off the 'boy look' easily."

The remaining two women were about to place some female retribution on their unsuspecting companion when they both paused. In perfect synchronization, they both wiped a line of drool at the thought of the two named girls sheathed in a form-fitting dark blue uniform that was mandatory for the male students. "Oh, yeah," the pair sighed in chorus. After a moment, each of them realized that the other had stated the same thing and glared at the other woman in the room.

Haruka blinked as her vision was filled with the features of two highly-pissed house-mates. "What'd I do?" she squeaked in fear.

Setsuna calmly filed her nails as she leaned on the door frame, watching as the blond was team-beaten by the other two. "Should I start the list now?" she asked over the sounds of violence.

* * *

In the recesses of her mind, the girl who housed the spirit of Akane mused as she fixed her appearance. _As bad as it may seem_, she decided, _there is a simple way to figure this out. Ranma will be the same in her attitude and morals, no matter what the outer body looks like_. She passed each of her teammates basic attitudes through this filter, and gaped at the result. _Masaka_! She griped internally. _By my figuring, the _entire group _displays things that make Ranma what he... or she... is_. Schooling her expression into the usual one this body wore, she headed out the door.

Within minutes, the entire group had gathered in the school yard, and everyone was now aware of the visible changes that had occurred. Incognito, the spirit of the youngest Tendo ground insubstantial teeth. _If anything else were a help, not having the entire group nearly the same age would have made all of this easier_. The nine girls chatted for a few moments before they began to head for the first classes of the day, Hotaru and Usa going to the offices to register for classes while the others went down the halls.

She sat in her usual desk, waiting for class to start. The homeroom teacher, smiling, stated that there would be some new students joining them. Akane's spirit moaned. _Let me guess_, she moaned.

A certain dark-haired teen was followed into the room by a girl with a distinctive hairstyle. She let her head drop to the desktop, fortunately at the same time as her teammates did. _Yep_, she realized, _just what I figured_.

* * *

The Senshi, minus Setsuna, were gathered, after the school day ended, in the Crown Ice Cream Shoppe. In between the nine people, there happened to be three conversations going on at once. These conversations mutated, shifting between participants and subjects like water in a river bed, until one of the participants looked out of the front windows.

"WHAT THE %^@#&& IS THAT!"

Everyone gave the blushing Hotaru a quick glare, then glanced out the window themselves. Suddenly, their only thoughts were of battle.

The creature was about nine feet in height, with sharp splines emerging from the shoulders that added a full foot of height. Its body was covered in a bizarre combination of textures, from oily-looking eel-skin to rough, baggy flesh that one sees on an elephant. It's face was hideous, with a mouth that was straining to clench around teeth that must have been donated from a veterinary dentist's trash. The eyes, however, were human-seeming and filled with a rage that spelled death to anything that stood in it's way.

The girls scattered quickly, to change into their fighting costumes. As they arrived, the group was surprised to see a single girl, dressed in a emerald-green pantsuit with golden armor epaulets, staring the demonic creature down. They paused in their entry, waiting to see what the girl would do.

The new fighter stood there one hand resting on her hip, the other hanging down at her side. "So, youma," she growled in a surprisingly melodious contralto voice, "you seek to enter this world to conquer it." She raised her hanging hand, to wave a finger in a 'no-no' gesture. "I can't just let you do that. As the scout of pure Chaos, I, Sailor Loki, will stop you,"

The Planetary Senshi group-blinked. "Did she just call herself 'Sailor Loki'?" the original Sailor Moon asked.

Surprising everyone, Minako gave the answer. "Loki was the Norse god of Chaos and Trickery. He would be just as likely to help you out as to knife you in the back." She glared at their shocked faces. "Hey," she complained, "I spent my time in England going to an English school. They teach fun things there."

The self-proclaimed Sailor Loki waited for the attack. She didn't wait long. The mad creature whipped its arms out, their length stretching to attempt to ensnare the girl. With a flicker, the girl disappeared from within their grasp, reappearing suddenly high over its head, calling out an attack phrase. "FENRIS WAVE!" From her cupped hands, a sphere of gray light, with the ghostly image of a wolf's head hovering inside, formed, then streaked down; the sphere, in it's flight, stretching out to take the shape of a ghostly, snarling timberwolf. The sound of the attack was that of a mournful howl.

The attack struck, engulfing the menace momentarily. As the green-clad girl fell lower, she smirked for a moment, until one of the beast's arms flew out from the light to smack her into a wall. The new fighter looked up, dazedly, at the fuku-clad girls on the rooftop and growled, "Magic alone isn't enough. You girls take a crack at it," before she passed out in pain.

Mercury quickly outlined her plan, before they jumped. The group quickly assumed their positions.

The senshi of ice nodded at Sailor Mars. "Oh, Sacred Fire," the senshi of flame chanted, "oh, Mars, my patron; hear my request. PLASMA SPHERE!" Above her clasped hands, a ball of golden-red light formed, its interior filled with ribbons of other colors.

"I pray to Mercury, grant me the frigid cold of ZERO AURA!" Mercury prayed, a glow of the deepest blue limning her form. She opened her eyes, then pointed at herself. Mars released her attack, and concentrated.

Mercury began to circle the confused monster, the ball of immolating heat tracking inches behind her. "On your way to oblivion," she growled, as she circled closer, "tell your masters this:..." She was now within the arm-span of the youma, yet still circling closer as she continued. "...HYRUU SHOUTEN HAA, REVISED! MERCURY DRAGON..." She stopped directly in front of the monster and ducked, letting the super-hot attack from Sailor Mars strike the creature in it's chest, covering it it solar-heat flame as she concentrated the aura into her clenched fist and twisted arm. "...UPPERCUT!" she screamed, delivering her corkscrewing punch directly in front of the monster's widening eyes.

From her fist roared a humongous eastern dragon made of ice, spinning at tremendous velocity. The construct clenched the demonic enemy in it's frozen jaws as the pillar of whirlwind formed and lifted it high in the sky. At it's base, an exhausted Sailor Mercury slumped. "Smash it, Saturn."

The violet-black haired senshi smirked. "Saturn, hear my call," she sang in a monotone moan. "To this enemy, I gift... ECHOING SILENCE STRIKE!" Her weapon expanded in length in that instant, seeming to connect her in an eternal moment to the invisible foe, before returning to it's original length. From the rapidly dispersing funnel erupted a cloud of ash that momentarily appeared to form a shrieking face.

As the Senshi of Destruction went to help the pant-suited girl, Jupiter ran over to the panting Sailor Mercury. "How did you come up with that attack?" she asked in wide-eyed admiration.

After huffing a few more deep breaths, the blue haired girl answered the question. "Saw it on the television," she responded weakly. "The anime used chi, but I realized that magic could work."

Jupiter sighed. "What's the name of this cartoon?" she asked. "Dragonball GT?"

Mercury shook her head. "No," she corrected gently. "It was called 'Ranma Nibunnoichi'."

Jupiter's eyes widened in shock. "WHA?!!!!?"

"You mean you never watched it?" Moon asked in her usual bubbly manner. "It's just _the most popular_ television show ever!" The way she emphasized her words implied that you either had to be dead, or possibly youma-infested, not to have seen it.

The redhead senshi blinked. "Ranma changes sex with water, right?" she inquired warily. At the others nods, she slapped a gloved hand to her forehead. "Oy, have I seen it," she admitted with a deep sense of dread. _I've seen more than you might think_, she stated mentally.

* * *

**THE NOWHERE BAR AND GRILLE:**

Jupiter launched a spittake that thoroughly soaked his tablemate.

Wiping his face, Pluto groaned. "Relax, boss," he attempted to soothe as he dabbed at the ambrosia that stuck to his skin. "Wasn't that Grey character proof that things like this are possible?"

The head of the pantheon sighed heartily. "Why me?" he just moaned. "Her habits make her better suited to be Thor's Avatar."

The Norse thunder god shook his head rapidly. "Nuh-unh," he yelped. "Women aren't strong enough to handle my power." Anything else he wanted to add was halted by his wife, Sif, and her judicious use of a large war-hammer. Various female entities applauded, including those who only occasionally mimicked it. Loki, for one, took great pleasure in it, as for once it was his/her half-brother getting the smackdown laid on, and not his/her own corpus.

Jupiter sweatdropped. "On second thought," he muttered, "she has too much tact to be allied with him...."

TBC..........................

* * *

  
  


  
  


  
  


AUTHOR'S NOTE: So, any guesses as to who Akane is? You're probably right. And who's Ranma? Maybe, maybe not. If I told you that, it wouldn't be a good fic, now would it?

So, here's the first Balance Senshi, Sailor Loki. She's True Chaos (True Neutral, for you AD&D people,) so she's just as likely to do nasty things as to do nice ones. If it weren't for the opponents that are just appearing, it might be a problem. Who is she, what's her agenda and where's her allies are going to be answered in a little while.

And just what is going to happen when a certain tall tomboy watches a certain anime of a certain martial artist's life, finding out just what she's missed in her former life? Trust me, it won't be pretty.... but it probably will be funny.

So, hang loose until I can write the next section, OK?


	6. Rosetta Stones

'Neutrinos and gamma wave radiation are just other ways for the universe to announce it's presence. It already does so with light and radio; for those of you that remember, it also does it with gravity. It's just that we do not have the Rosetta Stone for these cosmic languages yet. Heck, in the case of Neutrinos, we are lacking the cave paintings!' - H S Physics

  
  


  
  


Makoto Kino knew that her life was complicated. Her parents had died over ten years ago, leaving her to carry on without them. Then she had tried to earn respect, running into those people who judged what a person was by how they looked. Finally, once she had found herself attending Crossroads Junior High, she became a member of the Sailor Scouts; reincarnations of the daughters of the rulers of an ancient, planet-spanning kingdom that combated evil to their eventual deaths.

She was also, in part, Akane Tendo. Daughter of a broken martial artist, affianced to one of the greatest fighters on Earth, she had protested the relationship; she had to come close to death itself to realize that she truly did love Ranma Saotome, regardless of his body's shape. His death had renewed her own spirit in the martial arts, giving her a reason to carry on. Until that fateful phone call, she had practiced her family's art with a vigor that would have surprised him.

Which led, invariably, to the present. She had made the wish that she had held in her heart, to be joined with Ranma. She had assumed that the wish would merely allow her to pass from this life, for the simple fact of Ranma being dead. But things involving him were never simple; Kami-Sama and Hild-Sama Themselves were willing to test her willingness to go through all sorts of tests to end up by his side.

But, she asked herself from both viewpoints, if I'm being put through this, what is it leading up to?

* * *

The girls all gathered together at the Hikawa Shrine after the battle. After all, it was fairly central to arrive and depart from, as well as an almost-ingrained habit. After finishing with their battles, they could slip into Rae's room, call up their transformation and let it heal the damages, or relax and snack for a few minutes to regain enough energy to go home.

Tonight, the habit allowed them to slip the green-clad 'Sailor Loki' in with themselves as they stealthily entered into the shrine, approached the targeted area...

"Who's your new friend, girls? Is it another 'warrior for love and justice,' maybe?"

...and have a heart attack when the elder Hino spoke from just inside the room. Even Setsuna, who was used to being the one doing the 'stealth approach greeting,' found herself clutching her chest in fright. After getting their bearings, the girls finished entering the room and began to arrange their costumed burden upon the futon to allow her to rest.

Rae stood over her elder, a bit of the spirit of the Sacred Flame shining in her eyes. "Okay, Oyaji," she growled at the seated bald man, who was calmly sipping at a teacup, "just how long have you known?"

The gentleman lowered his cup slightly to smile over it's rim. "Since the Rainbow Crystal was implanted," he answered.

Ami blinked rapidly. "Hino-san," she whispered, "that would suggest that you were a member of the..."

The old man simply allowed his smile to widen. "Why else would my name be 'Ichiro Hino'?" he chuckled. "I was the Head Priest of the Martian Shrines. When the Queen split the Shadow into it's components, she needed to use members of the Court to hold the souls. With the others, their spirits were burned out in the effort of entrapping the evil that was implanted. Due to my former strength of will and my reincarnated link to my former planet, I was able to strengthen my soul enough to survive the ordeal. Since then, my knowledge has helped me to help you girls in my own small way."

Usagi sighed, as if the weight of her former life had lessened. "So that's why I felt like I did," she muttered, a look of dawning appearing on her face. As the others stared at her, she let out a pained chuckle. "Whenever my family would take us by here, I felt as if there was a kind of magnet, pulling me toward it."

Setsuna chuckled softly, causing the other girls to twitch a little in surprise. "Princess," she stated softly amid her mirth, "the kingdom of Mars was always the soul of the Silver Empire, as the Moon was the heart. The only way it would be more power...ful..." The guardian of time paled as the shrine master began to smirk. "...how?" she squeaked.

The remaining girls quickly whipped their gazes back and forth between the two adults in the room. Setsuna, who normally wore a condescending expression, was now displaying outright shock and surprise. Her smirk was being worn by the commonly goofy-seeming elder shrine-keeper, who would rarely even attempt to be so sly.

The moment was broken as the unconscious newcomer moaned quietly. Hotaru trotted over to her and placed a hand on the costumed girl's arm. "Are you alright?" she asked in a soft voice. "Are you well enough to detransform?"

Without opening her eyes, the mysterious new fighter shifted her head in a quick nod, then crossed her arms to place her bracers gently against the opposite side's shoulder armor. As she did so, her uniform morphed into her street clothes: the Juuban High School uniform, being worn by a girl who was well known to at least five of the girls in the room.

"**NARU?!!!?**"

The redhead grinned in wry humor. "Hai," she chortled as she let her eyes open, spearing her oldest friend with a slightly angry look. "Bugs," she grumbled, using the English word before returning to Japanese, "why couldn't you tell me?"

Usagi looked morose. "Luna ordered me not to," she responded, then added a single word, this one in English as well. "Daffy."

Two people in the room got it. The eldest Hino and the girl who lived in England. Their laughter was ignored by the others as they tuned into the conversation.

The newest youma-fighter sat up slightly and grimaced. "Come on, Usagi," she growled in annoyance, "how could your _cat_ order you to avoid me?"

The ponytailed blond matched her expression. "What is her name? What is my name? What is my secret?" she snapped back.

Naru processed that. "Magic, right," she sighed. "Next thing you'll tell me is that Meiou-sensei is one of you, as well." She blinked once, as she realized that the jade-maned woman was giving her a 'royal wave' from the table where she was sitting. "Sheesh," she sighed. "Figures. My patron is the sly Trickster, so why wouldn't it be like this?"

Haruka leaned forward. "What'cha mean, Naru?" she probed.

The freckled girl rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Alright," she decided. She tucked her legs underneath herself. "It was like this..."

* * *

_**FLASHBACK...**_

Naru checked her uniform in the mirror, tugging slightly at skirt. "This is stupid," she muttered to herself. "When I realized that Usagi and her new 'friends' were the Sailor Senshi, I thought that maybe I could join them. 'Warriors of love and justice,' they call themselves."

_Well, it isn't quite that bad. The world needs balance. Not all of what is coming is 'evil,' so they're going to need some new viewpoints._

The redhead began to panic. The mental 'voice' she had just heard was male, humorous and had a slight Scandinavian accent. "AAAAUGH!" she screetched. "Another youma!"

The invisible, inaudible speaker chuckled. _Not at all, Naru Kentarudottir,_ he continued. _I am a kami, allowed by the Powers Above and Below to extend an offer to my chosen Champion._

She calmed slightly. Then she glared at her reflection. Instead of the mirror showing herself, the image was wearing a pantsuit of green silk, over which was placed gold shinguards, shoulder armor and bracers. The front of the silk top was marked with a pattern of nine squares, set in a square grid. All except the center were stitched in dull silver thread, the remaining one just an outline done in bright gold. The reflection smirked and placed her right fist upon her hip jauntily. The lips moved in sync to the speaker. _This is Sailor Loki, the defender of True Chaos. Neither Good nor Evil, nor Anarchy or Order. She is the pivot Balance Scout, the first of a new group of fighters that are being formed._

Naru blinked noisily. "Balance Scout?" she puzzled. "This isn't a joke?"

Her reflection waved her left hand in a negating gesture. _Not at all,_ the speaker assured her. _In fact, some of what is going to be coming is considered 'Good' and would cause no reaction from the 'Sailor Scouts,' as you call them, until it is too late. That is where the new team will come in._

Outside the mirror, the fuku-clad girl collapsed to her knees. She looked up at the reflection with a puzzled expression. "How can 'good' be bad?" she squeaked through a tight throat. "Isn't that a paradox?"

Her image pouted. _What about the Christan people who 'saved' the old Norse from their 'heathen' ways?_ he countered. _Despite their 'goodnes__s,' they managed to do great harm. Some of what is approaching will be just as dangerous. Will you be a victim, again, or are you willing to fight?_

She mused over this. The last time she had gotten directly involved, she had turned a Negaverse general from his ways. What could she do if she had the abilities? "Alright," she agreed. "What do I do?"

Her reflection spun around, stopping with her left hand extended and holding a pen-like wand. It was made of gold and silver, capped with a globe of amber crystal. Inside the golden globe, there was a silver rune that seemed to float in the center. She instinctively knew that the glyph signified 'Loki.' The mirror-image flipped the rod toward her. Reacting instinctively, she cupped her hands and the pen dropped into them. _Raise that and speak the words, 'Loki suit up.'_

She smirked. Following the directions given, she extended her arm and spoke the words. She felt her body fill with power, and watched as smoke and fire flared around her, burning neither herself nor her surroundings. From below, a amorphous snake of green light coiled around her, not yet tight against her silhouette of rainbow light. As it came into contact with her, it flashed and morphed into a jade green silk pantsuit. Then a giant wolf of smoky light dove down from above, leaving the armor pieces as it passed over her form. Finally, in a clockwise spiral, the grid of squares formed in splashes of light and shadow. With a final wash of shadow, her body returned from a light-filled shell, to flesh and bone, as her feet touched the floor.

_How does it feel?_ Loki asked, as her mirror-self gave her a inquisitive look.

"Wow," she sighed in awe, as she looked over her new clothing. Suddenly, she heard/felt/sensed a twisting sensation. She turned to face the source. "Sailor Loki is on the case," she huffed, then jumped for the window.

_You'll know what to do when you need to, Naru, _Loki assured her as she departed. _Trust in the feelings you get._

_**END FLASHBACK...**_

* * *

**'THE' Office**:

Hild smirked at Kami-sama. "You have a secondary plan, don't you?" She squinted at the wildly grinning god. "What am I saying? Of course you do," she huffed.

He just increased the wattage of his smile and chuckled.

* * *

**Hikawa Shrine, Labor timeline:**

Usagi smiled her patented 'That's all right then' smile. "It's good to know that we've got more help," she began.

She went no further before her henshin locket rang like a bell. In a flash of sparkles, the device desolved to reveal the Silver Crystal. From within it shone a beam of soft light to strike the table. Where the light hit the wood, the miniature form of Queen Serenity faded into being. The fallen monarch had a look of resignation on her face.

_My child,_ the light-construct stated, _I am glad to see that the Balance is being reformed. And with the Balance, I must admit my greatest folly._

"What is that?" the reincarnated heir to the Moon Kingdom plead.

_I seperated the Evil and Anarchy from my soul,_ the ghost admitted. _In my haste to protect all, I created my greatest foe. Metallia was a part of me, as was the Black Crystal. Instead of the Utopia that I envisioned, I created War and Death._ Sparkling tears gathered in the corners of the miniature woman's eyes. _Find the Black Crystal, my daughter; with both Light and Dark, the future will be secure._ With those words, the light winked out, taking the doll-sized image with it. The Crystal chimed once again and a new locket formed around it. The design was simple – a Tao symbol of black and white crystal, the Silver Crystal seated firmly in the Yang quadrant. The space for the Black Crystal was empty, but the dark sector seemed to have a negative shimmer inside it, almost an anti-fire to the shine that glittered in the lighter side.

Setsuna nodded her head. "Follow her words, Princess," the time guardian cautioned. "No soul is complete without a balance."

The others just nodded, seeing the truth of it.

  
  


_TO BE CONTINUED...._

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

This section took a bit longer than the others, I'll admit. Real Life took a bit of a bite out of me, so I wasn't able to devote quite as much to my favorite relaxation as I would wish to. I finally was able to finish this one; short as it is, it just couldn't be stretched without making it too wordy.

So now the question on most everyone's mind is "W.T.F?" Dark Crystal, Balance Senshi and the remainder of the First Labor? What about Akane's Reality? This is all taking just five hours, give or take, so what is happening there? Will the others in her life have problems with what's happening with her? Could they help her?

Read and find out!!


	7. Dimensions

'Dimensions. Height, width, depth. But are there others? Yes, time can be one as well. There may or may not be others, no one is completely sure. But, as in the book 'Flatland,' it might just be because we cannot relate to the 'higher' levels above our 3+1 senses.' - H.S. Physics

'Look, Ma! I'm the King of the World!' - A. T. Great (Sorry, Bob. Borrowed the idea. I'll give it back sooner or later.)

  
  


  
  


Throughout history, calamity occurs in points that are recognized in later times, but at the time of the incident are never noticed. In this instance, it was quite clear that calamity was coming, but no one knew just why.

On the television in Ami's apartment, the Inner Scouts were watching an episode of 'Ranma Nibunnoichi.' Makoto had just taken a bite of a brownie, as a certain scene played upon the screen.

'Okay, pig. Just hold on. Sheesh, it's like you're afraid of a little hot water.'

Usagi giggled. "I just love this, Mako-chan," she gushed, her eyes still riveted to the screen. "I mean, it's just so funny."

The tall girl just bobbed her head, as she sipped a little milk to moisten the thick mush in her mouth.

'[SPLASH] You!'

Makoto gasped, coughed, and then sprayed milk and brownie bits out her nose. Due to her having the glass against her lips, the backwash of the accident ricocheted against the bottom of the cup to splatter the entire contents into he face.

Torn between the hilarity felt by seeing the scene of Ranma and Ryouga's bathroom scene and the obvious pain that one of the team was feeling, the others did their best to control their amusement. Ami was quick to produce a towel for Makoto, Rei was patting her back, and the two blonds were getting red-faced as they bit on their tongues. After a few moments, the blue haired girl sighed. "Makoto?" she asked in her usual soft voice. "Why did that scene surprise you?"

As the auburn maned girl dried her face, she debated her response. _What do I tell them, that I'm from there?_ she asked herself. _I tell them that and Usagi'll probably hit me with a 'Therapy Kiss' before I could make myself clear. Pork-butt is **BACON** when I see him, though._ She drew a deep breath, then answered the mild-mannered girl. "It's kind of extreme," she hedged. "Ranma changes into a girl; we've met the Starlights, so a boy that becomes a girl is reasonable. But a boy that becomes a pig?"

Luna snickered from her hiding place under a chair. "I can believe it," she chuckled. "I can turn human." Suiting words to action, the black-furred Mau shifted to a teenaged human form. The human-Luna tilted her head in a manner that belied her feline reality. "Art occasionally does imitate life."

Externally, the tall redhead seemed to be simply pondering that. In her mind, however, she was using the recipe skills of this form to contemplate how she would turn a certain bed-warmer into roast suckling pig.

* * *

**Akane's Home Reality:**

Detective Kurogame glanced over at his partner. The broad-shouldered man had frozen in place, his face draining of all color. "Ryo, old buddy, what just happened?"

The shaggy haired police officer shivered once, a whole-bodied shaking. "Hitori," he stated in a surprisingly level tone, "you've seen my... problem, right?"

The smaller man shrugged. "Yeah," he responded calmly. "It's a little freaky, but that same 'problem' has helped us solve quite a few cases. What of it?"

A fearful Detective Ryouga Hibiki turned his face to his partner. The smaller man gulped, as he noted the eyes that had stared down PCP-crazed junkies and desperate crime lords with nothing to loose were filled with such overwhelming terror bore their payload of fear into him. "She knows," he babbled. "How could she? I'm dead. She'll BAKE me!"

The stunned non martial-artist just patted the terrified muscle-bound man. "No you won't," the older man assured him. "You're too young to fry."

* * *

**The Nowhere Bar 'N' Grille:**

Tisiperone cackled in glee, slapping her taloned hand repeatedly on the tabletop. She finally had the payoff for that little trick she played upon that samurai nine generations ago! The self-styled 'Fang of Vengeance' had tried to claim that only men could set up a proper torture. He had arrived in Neilfhelm, willing to arrange a deal with his escort – her – in order to buy his release to Asgard.

Hild-sama had approved it, so they picked their targets. He had picked a fellow samurai, whom he had caused to be cursed with descendants that tended to speak before they thought. Leading to a young Ranma, and his eventual death. Vengeful, true, but flat at the end.

She had picked his family. An obvious curse, the one of direction problems, hid the real whammy; not only did the sufferer have the inability to find what he wanted, but he also ended up where they least wanted to be. The first part would fade, as the person afflicted found their place in life, yet the hidden part would fester and grow, regardless of what they tried.

Her table-mate, the poor tortured soul, could only gape. "You win," he stated in a calm voice, his thirst for revenge slaked. "What man could plot such horror, compared to such as yourself?" His eyes twinkled, the same crimson as the markings upon his brow. "Such evil, indeed."

The Fury's laughter tapered off, as she returned his gaze with one of lust and, indeed, true love. "Kuroma," she sighed in joy, "once a generation, you prove to be such a weenie." At his furious expression, she cupped his cheek. "But you're MY weenie, snookums."

She began laughing again, at the befuddled expression on his face.

The cloaked being's hood shook, as if the being inside were laughing him- or herself sick.

* * *

**Labor Reality:**

Makoto walked back toward her apartment slowly. Her earlier fury at Ryouga had faded into a dull simmer at the subterfuge her so-called virtuous protected had pulled upon her. While she was contemplating that, she didn't notice the beings fading into solidity around her. Her concentration, however, was broken when their leader spoke in a familiar voice.

"Look at this, my followers," she stated in a haughty voice. "This one, a 'good' being who fights for 'love and justice,' is herself carrying such darkness inside herself."

The timbre of the voice caused her to whip her gaze toward the speaker. There, surrounded by beautiful, ethereal female creatures, was a transformed... "Galaxia," the untransformed senshi stated through a throat that was clenched in fear. Why are you back?"

The gold-clad senshi gave her a pitying look. "I am not that Dark-corrupted clone you faced," the powerful warrior sighed. "I am a being of Purity. As such, I cannot allow a planet of such tainted souls continue." The saddened senshi waved a hand at her entourage. "Yousei," she commanded, "cleanse this one from existence."

Inside the senshi of the planet of storms, a barrier crumbled. The hidden well, filled with what the long-dead ruler of this system considered an intolerable taint, was exposed to the spirit dwelling therein. Her face twisted into a snarl of rage. "What right do you have, Galaxia, to decide what is acceptable?"

The glittering protector of Order frowned. "I am the sole bastion of Order," she claimed. "Evil and Chaos is to be eliminated."

Makoto seethed, as the minions of Light closed in. "Chaos is growth," she countered. "If evil is banished, then all suffers; people can choose what they follow." She reached behind herself, clutching for her henshin wand. She felt her hand wrap around a shaft, and brought it forward instinctively. "What **is** light, without dark?"

"Heaven," Galaxia returned.

"Not so," the auburn-maned senshi countered. "How can a mark be formed if no shadowing exists?" She raised the rod in her hand, finally noticing the cuts it had inflicted upon her hand with it's serrated shaft. Words, never before uttered, rose within her mind as she gazed at the murky emerald and the blood-red glyph within. "Jupiter _dark_ crystal," she hissed, "EMPOWER!"

From above, a bolt of dark lightning slammed down over her, cutting her off from view.

* * *

Ami's computer screeched. Jumping in shock, she watched as the display filled with data. With a hand that was shivering with mortal terror, she keyed the communication function to emergency call. "Everyone," she whispered, "answer, please! Galaxia is back!"

* * *

Riding the wave of Dark energy, Shadow-senshi Jupiter felt the altered uniform come into being around her form. The powers within her sang at the chance to be released for the first time. The wave of mystic shadow disappeared from around her body, and she gave an evil smirk at the gaping senshi clad in shining gold. "Time to dance with Jupiter, bi**h," she growled.

* * *

Usagi and her time-shifted daughter hid to one side and stared at the scene before them. Makoto, after growling while she held a warped version of her usual henshin wand, had been engulfed within a Cimmerian version of her normal power-up. As the energy faded, Jupiter stood there, revealed in her new outfit.

The main feature of the shadowy version of her uniform was that it was all leather and iron. Black leather bodysuit, ringed at the shoulders and leg holes by thin bands of black metal. Colored leather versions the other parts were present as well, the hues muted. Upon her brow was a ring of black iron, with a fitfully-glowing emerald centered on her forehead. Centered upon her chest was a larger copy of the same jewel.

They continued to gape, as the group of glowing followers dogpiled her. From within the mass of shining flesh, they heard Jupiter's shout. "JUPITER FOREST DECAY!" The light that shone through the skins of the anti-youma sputtered, dimmed and went out, as their bodies, clothing and jewelery seemed to go through a instantaneous time-lapse into oblivion. Their friend, in her murky uniform, brushed the glitter from her outfit as she stood up. The kuro-senshi glared at the Light-empowered Galaxia. "So, bright-slut," she bit out, "are you up for more?"

The warrior of the galaxy waved a hand. "Later, shadow-spawn," she answered loftily. "This was just a calling card." As she faded from being, her voice seemed to echo from everywhere. "I am just coming into my power. Let Sailor Moon know."

The odangoed girls twitched as their shadowy compatriot let her shadowed senshi transformation fade. "Come out Usa, Usagi," she called. "I know you two were watching."

Usagi approached carefully, one hand to the pendant hanging from her chest. "Mako-chan?" she squeaked out. "What happened?"

The taller girl sighed. "I was angry," she confessed, "when that..." She unconsciously felt herself growl. "...witch decided to show up. I felt whatever Serenity-sama did collapse and the power just take me." She felt her painful smile twist into a grimace. "Goddess, that felt both hideous and... wonderful, at the same time."

The blond leader of the planetary protectors wrapped the gently weeping girl in a hug, as the pink-haired girl called their teammates and arranged a meeting.

_**TO BE CONTINUED...**_

* * *

First enemy to show: An inverted version of their greatest foe! What's next? Just guess!

  
  


You may be right... and maybe not.

  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


  
  


So just WHAT was the other monster attacker about? Wait for it....


	8. Black Holes

'Black holes are a gravitational hazard. A point in space that, if you approach to close to, you will probably never escape.'

**Home universe:**

Amaterasu sighed, as she contemplated the scene being displayed in the crystal globe in front of her. "Akane," she eulogized in dismay, "would that I could take this pain you feel away. But to pass this test, you are going to face even greater pain. Be strong..." She put her face into her hands and wept.

* * *

Nabiki sat in her office, idly flipping a pen between her fingertips. After four years, she was finally able to feel as if she were beginning to make some restitution to the spirit of her little sister's true love. Even if it had been settled by every court in the land, in her heart she knew that the reason that two people died that day was because of her meddling.

She set the pen down and reached over for the picture frame on the corner of her desk. Opening it wide, she looked at the pair of pictures within.

On the left, dressed in his usual clothing, a picture of Ranma, in the midst of a beat-down/sparring session with his father. The look on his face was one made up of equal parts joy, - of the battle, certainly, - and concentration. The angles of his limbs indicated that he was rising to engage in midair with his then-worthless father. Life and joy seemed to seep from the paper.

On the right, in a stained white suit, was a black-and-white incident photo that showed the fallen warrior, her body slack in death and sprawled over that of her mother. The redhead's head was being held in the lap of her youngest sister, the photo clearly showing the splashes of Akane's tears upon the dead girl's face. The image was as stark and gripping as the event that it displayed.

She split her attention between the images as she spoke into the air, as if she were talking to them.

"Hey, little brother," she stated in a joyless voice. "it's me. I'm doing what I can, like I promised. You know that your Art isn't mine; but I've tried to find something that would make you proud of me. I've been trying to atone for the mistakes I made with you and Akane; I was too blind to see what my focus on money was really costing me." She sniffled slightly, then continued in a softer voice. "It took your death to make that clear. By the Kami, I was such a fool. Of all the gang, I thought I was the most observant one, the person with all the answers. No martial-arts jock could see something _I_ might miss." She barked out a choked laugh. "You were so good for all of us, weren't you? Your heart held enough love to forgive anyone who hurt you, be it physically or emotionally. No matter how much I blackmailed you, you were willing to help out when it was for the family. Gods, Ranma, you were even ready to pose for lingerie shoots even before I asked, when we were going through a lean month. Why was I so eager to foist you off on Akane?"

She paused, as if hearing him respond. _Because, 'biki,_ the pictures seemed to say in both the male and female voices, _you were afraid, back then. I was only a splash of water away from being the opposite gender; hell, if'n anybody woulda' asked me, I'd've denied liking it._

Her breath caught momentarily. "But you did like it, didn't you? You actually liked being able to laugh at life, being able to jump the gender fence at will and look into the greener pasture that everyone else could only be envious of. You were wise, in a way that others could only dream of: you could read a person's heart and give them joy in life, where they couldn't see it."

_Who _could _see it, 'biki? Everyone was so caught up in the madness, it couldn't end any other way. The Grim Reaper was waiting for someone,_ and here the male voice fell silent, _so who best to die than the focus?_

"Baloney, Saotome." she growled, focusing fully upon the colorless image. "Life isn't always cruel, you could've found a solution. Hell, I've dedicated my life to finding them; I won't let any more people loose their hope."

The voice was now completely male. _You're right, too, neechan. It wasn't __all suffering; we had plenty'a laughs as well. Keep it up; the world needs people like you._

She closed the frame and replaced it in it's original position. "I swear to, Ranma-imuoto, I swear...." She broke down into tears, unable to continue.

* * *

Ukyo sighed as her body sank into the heated water. She had spent the previous night working for a major telethon, providing the food for the phone crew so they could work at their places without any delays. Hard work, without any pay, but she didn't mind. Out of all the things that had happened in her life, this was one of them she could be really proud of.

There were damn few of those. Ten years of questing for vengeance, her heart filled with hatred; a year and a half of obsession, chasing after a guy because he called her cute; then finally these last four, trying to piece her life back into some semblance of order. If it weren't for Kasumi being close by to give her a shoulder when she needed to cry and a slap when she got crazy, she'd probably have followed 'Dachi into the nuthouse. The evening of that fateful day, it was Kasumi who held her, like a mother, and let her cry out the immediate pain. It was the same woman who wrote her father and, using words that she wouldn't ever speak, blasted the Kunoji elder repeatedly with statements such as, 'what sort of $($))## $#(@$(*, #$)#$() parent takes away his daughter's right to be a female just to soothe his $)#$(&*() $()_$*(#, $_#@*#( wounded pride?!!?' The selfsame woman who stood beside her when her father returned and forced him to make her clan head.

So she worked, to repay her debt. Not just the debt of honor that she owed the Tendo family; she also donated time and ingredients to non-profit causes like last night to repay a spiritual debt. A debt that was as much for the man she helped to kill as it was for her own spirit.

She never noticed the tears that dripped from her face as she was immersed in the near-scalding water. As they did every time since that day.

* * *

**Labor timeline:**

The planetary Senshi were gathered in the house of the Outers, all sitting in varying states of shock or fear as they watched their usually smiling and chipper Makoto curled around Usa. Usagi would rub her back from time to time as the blond was explaining the incident.

"Let me get this straight," Haruka finally ground out. "Galaxia is now a super-goody-two-shoes who wants to eradicate us because we're beginning to tap into the Dark side of our powers?"

The pink-haired future-Princess nodded grimly. "She is willing to eradicate anything that has the slightest bit of evil inside it," she stated. "If she has her way, this planet will be filled with nothing but soulless automatons."

Makoto rasped out a choked sob and fell asleep. Usa slid the lax body down until the auburn haired girl's head was laying in her lap.

Hotaru blinked owlishly. "What caused Makoto-oba to access her powers?" she probed.

Ami tapped the controls of her computer. "From the information I could gather," she began, faltering slightly as all eyes, including Setsuna's, were pointedly staring at her, "w-what triggered her access was a high concentration of negative emotions." She fiddled with her palm-sized supercomputer for a second, then continued. "It seemed that her rage, at life and other things, caused the ancient seal that the Queen placed to shatter. I can now detect equal wells of Silver Millennium and Negaverse energy. The description that Usagi gave was that she accessed this to transform; if she did so, then the Kuro-Jupiter powers must be at the 'Crystal' level."

Usagi hummed. "She did use the phrase 'dark crystal empower' to transform," she agreed. "So I figure that adding 'dark' to our normal phrases and ending with 'empower' instead of 'make up' will probably do it."

Everyone sat stunned for a moment, then shivered. Ami swallowed once. "That won't work until we can access the power," she countered. "Like our advancement in our Silver powers, there is the blockage to bypass."

Setsuna swallowed. "Scan me," she stated in a hollow voice.

After a moment, the smaller girl gulped. "You're already able to access it," she confirmed. "In fact, I cannot find any trace of a binding on your powers, nor any fragments of a broken one."

The jade-maned woman gave a short, sharp nod. "I was empowered by the first ruler of the lunar kingdom, Princess Serenity's four-greats-grandmother. Even if Serenity Ishtar wanted, she could only remove my powers, not bind them." She delicately reached into subspace to pluck a sullen golden rod that seemed to be all sharp edges and angles, topped with an almost-black garnet. In the sullen depths of the distorted gem, the glyph pulsed like fresh blood. She set the henshin rod in front of her as if it were made of some toxic waste, then produced her usual rod and set it beside it's dark counterpart. "As Dark Pluto, I am the senshi of the Void. My attacks, in order of power are: Gravity Crush, Stellar Compression and the Suicide Collapsar." The others blinked as the unbreakable facade that their eons-old teammate had always shown shattered in a wash of silent tears. "I can also call upon the curse of the Microcollapsar Swarm. In one second, the gravity stress can decimate an entire army from that attack." Her eyes were showing her age. "I have used that curse only two times. The first was during the reign of the the Third Serenity, obliterating the renegade senshi of Tau Seti. The second was fifteen hundred years ago, to purge the remaining youma on the Moon."

No one dared to refute her claim.

* * *

Makoto found herself in the dreamscape standing in an open plain, the skies above starting to fill with dark clouds.

"What's happening?" she asked the air around herself, her voice cracking slightly.

_What do YOU think it is?_ a snarling, enraged voice barked out from all around her, as the area surrounding her went from daylit to dusk. _You're used to light, but we've got to have a little... discussion._

She was about to answer, when she suddenly found herself watching memories. Images that came from an era before the Silver Millennium.

^*^*^*^

The young redhead sat in her stiff chair, her small heels tapping idly against the rungs that braced the legs. _Bo-ring_, her mind chanted in rondo, as she watched various scholars, priests and officials scurry here and there. The focus of their impatience being, of course, herself.

She watched as her mother, a woman of an imposing height that was willowy-thin and whipcord, reached out her hand to her aunt, a shorter woman with indigo-black hair and a stocky build. Both women bore the markings of Jupiter's powers: her mother's being that of the energies of Growth, while the powers of Decay inhabited her aunt. The pair weren't afraid of each other's strengths, as the other's abilities matched with her own shortcomings.

"Mako-chan," her aunt caroled, her voice gentle instead of the usual growl that would be heard by anyone else other than the woman beside her or the child she was calling for. "Are you ready to visit the Moon?"

She quickly hopped out of the chair. "Yes, auntie," she giggled. She enjoyed these trips to the lunar surface, as her friends and fellow princesses were always allowed to visit at the same time.

The trio clasped hands and in less time than it would take to describe, were standing on a disk of light on the surface of the Moon itself, the blue and white of the Earth's surface casting it's glow above them. Little Makoto's first encounter was with her counterpart from the planter of mists, Venus.

The blond-haired girl was bouncing around the targeting pad, the chains of an unfocused Venus Love and Derision Encircle combination being used like a pair of ribbons to mark her path. "Hey-a, Mako-chan," the slightly shorter girl sing-songed. "See what I can do?"

She shook her head at her friend's antics. "Mina, Mina, Mina," she muttered in a perfect imitation of her auntie's 'child, you're embarrassing me' tone. "That's only because you have attacks that have physical form for both." She held up her hands, allowing them to fill with a cloud of light and dark motes of emerald energy. "I can't use my power as anything but beam attacks."

The pair continued to chat as they approached the entry arch to the castle. As they passed through the doorway, a pair of small hands tapped the top of each of their heads. They both looked upward to stare into the red-violet eyes of the princess of the red planet, her face split in a fanged grin as she hovered above them, face-downward.

"The other's are already waiting for us," the floating priestess purred as she sank down until she was hovering just above the floor, feet just above the marble surface. "The queen wants to see all of us Younger Senshi."

The three girls made haste to reach the chambers. As they opened the door, A flash of blindingly silver light washed over them, tearing at their very souls....

^*^*^*^

Makoto gulped, as her mind returned to the present. Her eyes narrowed to attempt to pierce the dusk, she called out, "You're right."

A short shadow formed in the darkness. "Am I?" the voice, now recognizable as a younger version of her own, snarled at her. "You loved your fellow Senshi, back then. You loved Serenity Greychild, loved her with every bit of your soul." The shadow neared, allowing the taller girl to see the clothing more clearly; details such as the rings of silver and iron, on a hand that had sharp, pointed fingernails. One of which pointing right at her face.

"I was crushed into your psyche," the tiny past-self hissed, her eyes glowing emerald for a moment. "For two millenium, I have been held down by Ishtar's disgust of that love." A tear sparkled on the shadowed face. "I know you, Makoto Kino, who was once Akane Tendo. I know that you were orphaned when your family and the Saotomes died. You were Ranma's only friend." The child's voice softened. "Love Serenity, or love Ranma. I only ask that you accept me."

Makoto dropped to her knees and opened her arms. As her past self approached, she once again fell into a flashback, this time of the recent past....

^*^*^*^

Akane and Ranma, both six years old, were sitting side by side, watching the TV with the same awe that all the children of the developed world ever have shown. Little would disturb them from the rapt attention devoted to the consumption of their favorite characters.

Or so it would seem to anyone looking over them. Just the day before, they had found out that they were the remaining members of their families. So, as they watched the pictures in front of them, they were quietly conversing.

"What'm I gonna do?" Akane asked in a hoarse whisper, hugging her knees to her chest and rocking slowly back and forth.

Ranma let his bare feet slowly tap a staccato rhythm on the tamai. "I'll protect 'ya, 'kane," he whispered. Tonight I'll go out and look for smethin' to help us."

"We're goin' to be split up," she whimpered. "We ain't gonna be near each other any more."

He turned on his side and looked into her eyes. "Don' say that, 'kane. If I'm not there, stay strong. Keep fightin' for what you believe in and I'll find 'ya, wherever you are."

She gave him a tiny smile. "'kay" she hiccuped. 

He rolled back to face the TV. "Promise?" he asked quietly.

She drew her finger across her heart in an age-old gesture. "Cross my heart," she swore.

^*^*^*^

She opened her eyes to the wizened face of Mrs. Hidoshi, the neighbor woman who had been watching over her and Ranma for the last week. The old woman was frantic with worry and asked, "Have you seen Ranma?"

She shook her head and looked over at the other futon. Everything was there – except for the dark-haired little boy. It looked as if he had just vanished from underneath the covers sometime in the night. All that was left behind was a note, scrawled in his usual hand:

[Akane, a pretty lady in a long white and black dress came and asked me to go with her. She promised me I'll always be able to watch over you, but only if I go now. I'm going to the moon now, so don't worry, Okay? Ranma]

She gulped. He went to the moon? Oh, my....

^*^*^*^

...and as the piece of her past merged with her present self, she mused upon the trials she faced after that. She fought to keep herself happy as much as possible, and once the Kino's had adopted her, she had thought that as Makoto Kino, she would be happier. She was, for all of three years; then her new Mom and Dad had followed everyone else.

She never returned to the orphanage after that. Better to be alone in the world, than to be left behind again.

That lasted until she rescued Usagi. Finally, she found a place to belong. Friends, a family that truly would be with her for over a thousand years. Through even death, they would be together.

As the dreamscape began to fade, she felt herself begin to smile in relief. She knew that she was going to find Ranma, he would keep his promises.

* * *

Sailor Loki dropped her head into her cupped palms. _I just have to wonder if Usagi or Luna have ever had days like this? _she mused to herself. Watching her new teammates as they battled another of the multibeasts, she had to question it.

The first announced herself as Sailor Thantos, the slate-gray clad protector of Ordered Chaos and the avatar of endings. She bore a western style grain-scythe that she used as if it were made of foam. The effects of her attacks, however, gave lie to the true strength of her weapon's power. The girl shouldered her odd-shaped pole arm after another swing and brushed an unruly lock of her crystal-white hair over her ear. "Do you see a weakness yet, Hephaestus?", she hissed in a surprisingly melodic soprano lilt.

The other Balance Senshi, a willow-thin violet-maned girl clad in chocolate colored silk, glared through a set of wood-rimmed goggles carved with Greek writings. "By the Forge," she swore, "This one is only damaged by a combined overpowering shot of magic right," and here she snickered slightly, "between the eyes." In that moment, she made a perfect demonstration of her position as the senshi of Anarchistic Chaos. She stuck her hand into her subspace pocket and produced a small, handgun-shaped device and aimed it at the attacking creature. "By the fires of the smithy, by the sparks of the hammer, endow my shot with THE ETERNAL FLAME!" As she stroked the trigger, an intense beam of white light, tinged with red-gold streamers, emitted from the barrel to connect with the spot she had just spoke of.

As she released the trigger, thereby halting the beam, the monster simply halted in it's tracks and dissolved into a powdery cloud that faded with it's death-scream. The senshi of construction twirled the mystic handgun and lifted the visor. "That, Thanto-chan," she giggled, "is how you dust a beastie."

The pale-haired girl grimaced. "Showoff," she growled.

The green-suited senshi sighed. _They probably have,_ she concluded.

TBC.....

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Sorry for the extreme delay in releasing this part, but RL decided to kick my butt, then the old Writer's block added to it. I finally beat them and managed to release this next section.

Hopefully, the next part will take less than four months to get out....

* * *

OMAKE------------------OMAKE---------------------OMAKE---------------OMAKE

SENSHI ROLE CALL!!!!! (No, this is not a mistake!)

[A six foot tall redhead wearing a pair of dark tinted glasses steps from the darkness. She is dressed in a pair of black jeans and a skin-tight black t-shirt. This is the author, and she is looking down at a PDA phone as she positions herself on-stage.]

CENTAURESS:[Looking up] Oh, hello. I've received a bundle of reviews about using 'Chaos' instead of 'Neutral' for the Balance Senshi.

NARU/LOKI [Off-stage]: Yeah, what's up with that, huh?

CENTAURESS:[Shooting a glance at Naru] Right. Well, I could go on about the theories I've had about the whys and wherefores, but let's just say that in real life, there's no such thing as 'Neutrality.'

[Slipping from the shadows, Thantos slides up beside the author and leans against her. Centauress just rolls her eyes and tolerates the shorter girl's atttitude with a small smirk.]

THANTOS: And to add to this, Chaos is neither/nor more than Neutrality. So, when in AD&D terminology they use CN, this might cause a problem. To cover for THAT, she uses Anarchy and Order in place of Chaos and Lawful. That turns 'CN' to 'AC' or 'Anarchistic Chaos.'

[A hatch opens just in front of the pair onstage. From it jumps Hephaestus, who lands on the hatch as it closes behind her.]

HEPHAESTUS:[Striking a Planetary Senshi pose] And I am classed as that because Technology can, and often _is_, used for both evil and good in the same way; both within the law and outside of it.

THANTOS:[Coughing into her hand] Ahem. Meanwhile, I am OC; better known to you RPGers as 'LN.' Everyone, good or evil, has an end. It is a fact of life, inescapable. So my alignment becomes obvious from that.

[Centauress taps on the PDA a bit, causing the lights to dim. The two pantsuited Scouts take the hint and leave the way they entered.]

CENTAURESS: I hope this answers that Question. Keep reading the fic, I hope with enough time, my plot will become clear. [shrugs] Ehh, it could happen.

[She taps the PDA screen once more and the lights fade out.]

CENTAURESS[Voice only]: Ja ne!


End file.
